The primary goal is to lower your overall risk of heart disease and stroke. This can be done in many ways. The first way to lower your risk is by making healthy lifestyle changes (weight loss, exercise, and healthy eating). When necessary, medicines may also be used.
Reaching healthy lipid levels is a part of reducing your risk of heart disease. Goals include lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, reducing triglyceride levels, and raising HDL ("good") cholesterol levels. The target levels will depend on your overall risk for heart disease.
Treatment involves the following:
Currently, there are no surgical options for the treatment of lipid disorders.
Hypercholesterolemia. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us. Updated September 9, 2012. Accessed September 12, 2012.
Prevention and treatment of high cholesterol. American Heart Association website. Available at: http://www.heart.o.... Published August 2012. Accessed September 12, 2012.
What is cholesterol? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hbc/. Accessed September 12, 2012.
Pejic RN, Lee DT. Hypertriglyceridemia. JABFM. 2006;19:310-316.
Last reviewed October 2012 by Brian Randall, MD
Last Updated: 10/11/2012